TripWorks, the operator-built platform transforming how tour and activity businesses manage pricing, automation and growth, today announced the launch of A.N.I.E. (Assistant for Next-gen Interactive Engagement) – the first native AI chatbot purpose-built for the tours and activities industry that can guide a guest from question to confirmed booking entirely within a single conversation.

Originally unveiled at Arival San Diego 2024, A.N.I.E. marked TripWorks as the first company in the tours and activities industry to introduce a truly native AI-powered conversational booking experience, built by operators, for operators.  A.N.I.E. was developed to solve the real-world challenges tour businesses face every day: missed bookings, repetitive support questions, and customer drop-off during the booking process.

Unlike traditional chatbots that redirect users to external booking pages, A.N.I.E. combines conversational AI, real-time inventory access, and integrated payment workflows to create a seamless booking experience directly inside the chat window. The launch marks a major advancement in how tour and activity operators convert website traffic into revenue while reducing operational workload.

“Operators are tired of ‘leaky’ websites, where customers drop off the moment they are redirected to a booking page,” said Aaron Fessler, CEO of TripWorks. “A.N.I.E. solves one of the biggest problems in our industry: the gap between customer intent and completed transaction.  A.N.I.E. doesn’t just answer questions; she closes sales. She is a 24/7 reservationist that lives on your site and in your app, powered by the most advanced knowledge-base integration in the industry.”

Closing the intent-to-transaction gap

Until now, most “AI chatbots” in the tours and activities space functioned primarily as FAQ tools. Customers looking to book were typically redirected to another page or booking engine, creating friction and increasing abandonment rates.

A.N.I.E. revolutionizes that model through:

Natural language processing
Real-time inventory and availability checks
Around-the-clock revenue generation
Native in-chat booking completion
SMS-enabled follow-up and payments for abandoned conversations
Conversation summaries and sentiment tracking

The result is a fully integrated booking experience designed to increase conversion rates while reducing friction with guests and operators alike.

TripWorks designed A.N.I.E. for tour and activity businesses that need enterprise-level AI capabilities, without enterprise-level complexity or pricing.

Operators can configure and train A.N.I.E. using website URLs, sitemaps, PDFs, or custom content – all without requiring implementation support or technical setup. A.N.I.E. uses this curated knowledge base to answer guest questions accurately and contextually.

“No competitor in the market currently offers native in-chat booking completion,” said Melanie Gannone, Director of Product at TripWorks. “Operators want technology that reduces friction for both their teams and their guests. A.N.I.E. was built to become the functional intelligence layer behind customer engagement, helping operators capture more revenue while delivering instant, personalized support at scale.”